Washington, D.C. – London-born singer M.I.A. swore and flashed her middle finger at the camera while on stage with pop icon Madonna during last night’s Super Bowl game. While NBC has apologized for their delay in catching the inappropriate gesture, Penny Nance, President and CEO of Concerned Women for America and former Special Advisor for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), says that more must be done:
“Seriously, why is this so hard? This kind of behavior warrants a fine and serious backlash. Yet another Super Bowl where reckless behavior by adults is outrageous. The FCC needs to come down hard on NBC. The thirty-second delay button is not rocket science. American parents should be able to watch a football game knowing that NBC will honor its audience. This is a prime example of why there are rules and regulations. One hopes the Supreme Court Justices were also watching and will take it into consideration as they weigh the importance of indecency rules this year. Who wants to be flipped off in the middle of chips and dip? How dare she. M.I.A. is missing class.”
It’s not the first time that M.I.A. has courted controversy. The singer, best known for her hit single “Paper Planes,” was given an “adults only” rating by YouTube for her video “Born Free” in 2010. A spokesman for the NFL said M.I.A. had not done anything similar to the gesture when she rehearsed with Madonna, and officials said they had no reason to believe she would do something similar during the actual show.
Penny Nance says, “The NFL hired the talent and produced the half time show. If they can’t choose performers wisely and make their rules known, risqumoments like this will continue to disgrace us as a nation during the biggest TV event of the year.”